THE breakaway Scottish consortium SPARC will stage its first formal meeting tonight amid fears some agents may pull out of the organisation.
Sources even said the future of the group – the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Retail Consortium – could be under threat if too many potential members back out.
The indecision by some agents north of the border follows a visit by Advantage directors who tried to persuade retailers to reconsider their intentions to quit the consortium in favour of SPARC.
Membership of Advantage must be renewed by March 31. “It would not be a shock if SPARC did not happen at all,” the source said. “March 31 is decision day and the nearer that date gets, the more nervous people become.”
SPARC was set up largely by former Scotway and Advantage Travel Centre members, angry at Advantage’s alliance with Airtours.
Stepek Travel general manager Gerry McPhillips said Scottish agents are unsure which consortium to join.
“The bottom line is the main concern and the question agents must ask is whether they can get better deals with Advantage or SPARC,” he said. “I have yet to make up my mind and so have one or two others.”
A SPARC spokesman admitted there was apprehension surrounding the new consortium but said it is almost certain to get off the ground.
“There is nervousness,” admitted the spokesman. “SPARC is an experimental consortium while Advantage is an established national organisation and agents must weigh up what is best for them.
“But with 43 signed letters of intent to join SPARC there should be enough support to get it off the ground.”
Advantage managing director Ron Muir said only a handful of Scottish agents had resigned from theconsortium.
“We spelled out the commission levels they have with Advantage and told them to think carefully,” he said. It is their business which is at stake.”
Doubts cast on SPARC future
Breakaway consortium faces uncertainty over support on eve of first meeting